Being a Family
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: Sequel to Family Matters, Rafael is settling in to his new role as the youngest child in the Darby household, but new problems are arising and making June scrutinize what little data she has on Raf's family history. And what has happened to Arcee
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Transformers Prime or X-Men

* * *

><p><strong>Being a Family<strong>

Jack sighed as he entered the Autobot base with Arcee. It had been months since June adopted Rafael and Rafael's birthday was coming up pretty quickly. June was planning a rather extravagant party to celebrate Rafael's first birthday as a member of the Darby family.

"Jack what brings you here?" Optimus asked. None of the bots had expected to see their human friends that day since Rafael was studying for a major exam and had elected to do so in the peace and quiet of his new bedroom. Miko had a tutoring session due to the fact that she was dangerously close to failing in more than one subject and they had thought Jack had a full shift at the KO Diner and he had been warned by the head boss that if he missed one more shift without a doctor's note he would be fired.

"I need to talk to you about something… and if you're wondering I didn't leave until my shift ended so no worries about my employment" Jack explained as he climbed onto the platform

"What do you wish to talk about?"

"Raf's birthday is coming up and… I was wondering if we could use the ground bridge to take him somewhere where he could see and experience real snow" Jack stated

Ratchet was about to protest that the idea was absurd and that the ground bridge wasn't a toy when Optimus beat him to the punch

"I see no reason we can't"

"Optimus…" Ratchet protested

"Ratchet I realize you don't believe this trip worthy of the time or Energon but I gave Rafael my word he would see snow and this is the only way I can keep that word"

Ratchet sighed jadedly; Optimus had a very valid point. He knew Optimus well enough to know that it was eating him up that he was up to now unable to keep his promise to Rafael.

"You are right" Ratchet caved "but one mention of going to the artic and I scrub the mission myself due to unnecessary medical risk to yourselves and Rafael. One of his small size would go into hypothermia faster than either of you would realize what was happening"

"I assure you I am in no hurry to return to the arctic" Optimus said

"I have to agree with Optimus, only in my opinion if I never go back to that pit spawned place it will be too soon" Arcee said from her position leaning casually on the wall

"Looks like we all agree that the Arctic is out of the question, so we look for places south of the Arctic Circle with decent snowfall in a remote enough area that no unauthorized human would see a bot… say the size of Optimus since I'm pretty sure you want to be there to see his reaction personally" Jack said looking to the prime in question knowingly

"Indeed I do wish to witness this myself, so we will begin our search in rural regions of the northern United States and southern Canada for a suitable location but it will be up to you to get the proper clothing to insulate him and yourself from the cold conditions we will undoubtedly encounter" Optimus stated

"Okay, that shouldn't be a problem, I've been saving up for this, and Optimus thank you for doing this for me"

"It is no problem. We can just call this my birthday gift to Rafael"

"Well then you have no reason to doubt that he'll love it"

Arcee had left the room and Jack knew she went to rest. He knew she was tired and needed the rest.

"I think I'm just going to bridge myself home" Jack said "I don't want to disturb her if she's already in recharge."

Jack went to walk to the ground bridge controls but stopped when he heard the unmistakable sound of one of the bots transforming. He turned and saw Optimus in vehicle mode

"Climb in, I will drive you home. A few moments out of base will do me some good" Optimus stated "and on the way we can talk more about this plan of yours"

"Okay"

* * *

><p>June smiled slightly as she saw a red and blue semi-truck come to a stop on the street outside of her house. She knew the Autobot leader's alt mode on sight and knew that in his care her boys were extremely safe. The Autobots had vowed to protect the children they had in their midst with their very sparks if need be. Optimus had smoothly transitioned into a paternal role for the children especially Rafael, Jack and Jo who had no fathers.<p>

Jack came inside and hugged his mom.

"Optimus likes my plan, it took a bit of convincing to get Ratchet on board" Jack explained as he got a drink from the refrigerator. "Where is Raf?"

"He's in his room talking to Yessenia over the phone" June smiled

"You know he still hasn't told Miko he spoke Spanish, I guess he figures she doesn't need to know, but he did tell Arcee" Jack's phone began to ring and he pulled out his phone "Speaking of Arcee…" he answered the phone "Hi Arcee… I know Arcee, but I thought you needed rest, besides Optimus offered… no I didn't ask him!"

June shook her head and waited for the distinct sound of the ground bridge. She knew Arcee wasn't completely happy with Jack and frankly she saw no reason to blame Arcee for being angry.

"You didn't tell her you were leaving did you?"

"No"

"You know she worries about you, Jack" June sighed

"I know, mom" Jack sighed as the ground bridge came through and Arcee rolled into the garage

June shook her head as Jack went to, presumably, apologize to his partner. She then wondered what Rafael was doing. He had been talking with Yessenia and since June had unlimited long distance she didn't mind how long they spoke. It had just seemed that they were about to hang up and he always came and told her when he was off the phone with Yessenia.

June got to Rafael's room to see him sitting in the middle of his bed sulking.

"Raf, what's wrong?" June asked as she sat by Rafael on the bed

"Yessenia had to cancel her plans to come here for my birthday" Raf sighed "she promised, mom!"

"She has responsibilities" June hugged Raf "you know she wants to be here with you"

"I know" Raf sighed

* * *

><p>Jack sighed as he entered the garage he knew Arcee wasn't happy with him at the moment and he understood why.<p>

"Arcee, I'm sorry" he said sincerely sorry about his lapse in judgment, but she didn't acknowledge him

"Arcee…" he sighed as she continued to silently sit there in vehicle mode

"Come on, Arcee, I know I should have told you when I left"

"Jack you knew I'd get worried if I couldn't find you on base! I worry about all three of you kids"

"Arcee, I'm not a kid!"

Arcee groaned he was close enough to being a child for her, or was he. She was beginning to realize that Jack wasn't the boy that she had met at the KO Diner almost a year earlier; he had grown mentally and emotionally. He was so much more mature than he was even then.

"Listen, Arcee, I know you need recharge time and I thought you wanted to do that on base so I didn't want to disturb you, so I was going to take the ground bridge but Optimus volunteered, I assumed he was going to let you know that I was safely at home"

Arcee found herself slightly taken aback, Jack had really been thinking about her in his choices.

* * *

><p>Rafael's birthday came around and Jack was worried about his plan. He had managed to get the jackets and things they would need to keep warm in the snow, but he worried that Optimus might not have been able to find a suitable location<p>

Rafael's party was going great but it was obvious to those that knew him the best that he was disappointed that his sister couldn't make it to the party.

"Raf, are you sure you're okay?" Miko asked resting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder

"Yeah, Miko, I'm okay"

Miko noticed something out of the corner of her eye as she spoke and she looked to see Yessenia walking over with her finger to her lips in a signal that the Japanese teen should be quiet.

Rafael noticed as an odd look crossed Miko's face, but he didn't get the chance to think too much about it

"¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermanito!"

"Yessenia…!' Raf turned and ran to hug his sister nearly knocking her over in the process

"Rafael" Yessenia laughed as she hugged him

"How did you… I thought you couldn't make it"

"So did I, but my roommate covered for me and Professor Xavier paid my way so I could be here for my brother's birthday like I wanted" Yessenia smiled "I just hope I didn't miss too much"

"You didn't, we were just about to eat" Miko said as Raf and Yessenia came to the table. Miko willingly surrendered her seat to the older girl to allow the two siblings to sit side by side so Rafael was now surrounded by family. His adoptive brother, Jack was on one side and his biological sister Yessenia was on the other.

* * *

><p>After the party Jack and Arcee took Rafael to the Autobot base stating they had a big surprise there for him. This had Rafael curious as to what this surprise was that he couldn't bring it to the party. He was even more confused when he saw cold weather clothing sitting on a table waiting for him there.<p>

Optimus smiled inwardly as the boys climbed into his cab now dressed for the cold weather they would see in a few moments.

"Ready Jack?" he asked

"Just a moment" Jack replied

Optimus heard Rafael protest the blindfold that would keep him from seeing where they were going but Jack assured him it would be worth it.

"Ready" Jack said

Optimus could tell Rafael was nervous and that he only became more nervous as they began to roll forward. He briefly wondered if they should scrap the blindfold due to the urge in his spark to soothe the fears of the child in his cab. He also had to fight hard to keep from blowing the surprise in an attempt to placate Rafael as they came through the ground bridge.

Jack and Rafael got to the ground and Optimus transformed and knelt down on one knee to get a better view of Rafael's reaction.

"Okay, you can take the blindfold off now" Jack said

Rafael couldn't get the piece of cloth off his face fast enough. He then put his glasses on and froze

"Wow… real snow… as far as the eye can see!" there was no mistaking the excitement in Rafael's voice

"Does this make up for me not bringing back that snowball from the Arctic?"

"This is better than any snowball, thank you Optimus!"

"You want to play in it?"

"Can I?"

"Yep… challenge you to a snowball fight!" Jack laughed

Optimus's mouth curved unconsciously into a smile as he watched Jack and Rafael play. It warmed his spark to see them bonding so close. Jack's birthday was the next one on the roster; he had turned seventeen not too long after meeting Rafael making this a milestone birthday. Jack was turning eighteen meaning he'd legally be an adult, but to watch Jack playing with Rafael in the snow one wouldn't believe he was just months away from legally being considered a man.

Optimus was jarred from his thoughts by a snowball to the chest-plates. He saw Jack holding snowball and given the trajectory of the last one it wasn't hard for him to deduce that Jack had been the one to throw the one that hit him. He could hear Rafael laughing from the opposite side and smiled taking two small handfuls of snow and dropping it on the laughing boys which made them laugh even more, mostly out of surprise since they never expected anything like that out of him.

* * *

><p>Months later Arcee was on patrol when she was ambushed. She sent a distress call out to base and the other Autobots.<p>

Optimus, Bulkhead and Bumblebee got through the ground bridge a few moments later to see signs of a fight but no Arcee

"Arcee…" Optimus called out "Arcee"

"Down here!"

Optimus looked down in the direction the sole female warrior's voice had come from and gasped

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

"How is it that you guys are now so much taller… everything seems taller than I remember"

"Um Cee… the only thing that's changed is you" Bulkhead stated seemingly just as confused as Arcee

"That's crazy; you must have a glitch in your circuits Bulkhead!" Arcee said accusingly

"See for yourself," Bulkhead replied grabbing a piece of reflective metal and placing it in front of Arcee like a full length mirror and the horror that crossed Arcee's face was unmistakable. She couldn't believe it, she was human! Where she once had blue armor she had pale skin and was clothed in dark jeans and a white shirt with a cobalt open jacket. Her hair was black with small pink stripes in the front, for a human she'd probably be seen as attractive, but at the moment she couldn't get over the shock factor of realizing she had changed race!

Optimus couldn't form any words to say, he just lifted her and turned on his com

"Ratchet we need a ground bridge!" he said

Ratchet activated the bridge to the same co-ordinance that he had earlier and was stunned when he realized a certain two-wheeler wasn't present. At the look on the Medic's face Optimus revealed the human he was carrying

"Another human, Optimus, really…?"

"Ratchet, this… this is a circumstance that even I am at a loss for an explanation" Optimus said

"Ratchet, it's me… Arcee"

"Okay… Arcee… if that's really you tell me what the last gift Tailgate gave you"

"My arm-blades, you installed them" she said dismissively in a way knowing why Ratchet posed this question, a human posing as her wouldn't even know who Tailgate was.

"By the Allspark, Arcee, how did this happen?" Ratchet asked taking Arcee from Optimus and starting towards Med bay

"If I knew I'd tell you" Arcee sighed and looked to the floor over the edge of Ratchet's hand, that made her feel even smaller so she settled in a different position so she wasn't looking down "you know I'm perfectly capable of walking"

"I know… this is just quicker"

Ratchet ran several scans and shook his head not liking the results

"What have you found, old friend?" Optimus asked as he entered the room with Ratchet

"What on the surface looked to be a complete change of race, it… she's still Cybertronian she just looks human and I am at a complete loss for an explanation as to how this happened and she has complete amnesia for the events that left her in this condition. The last thing she remembers is sending up the distress call." Ratchet sighed "She still gives off a weak locater beacon so it isn't a good idea for her to go out alone, honestly I'd say she shouldn't leave at all."

Bulkhead looked to Bumblebee

"Looks like you're getting Jack; you know they don't like to ride with Miko when she blares the music" Bulkhead shrugged

Bumblebee let out a string of chirps and clicks that Arcee was horrified to discover she could barely understand. She would run that past Ratchet once Bumblebee was out of the base so as not to frighten or alienate the young scout any more than he already felt at times when he couldn't communicate with their human allies.

"What is Jo doing?"

"She's in the school play" Jazz stated indifferently

"At least they don't have to worry about her forgetting her lines" Arcee commented

* * *

><p>Jack sighed as he exited the school and didn't see Arcee<p>

"Bee says there's something wrong with Arcee" Rafael said

Jack felt a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach as he got into the car with his brother. What had happened to Arcee; was she going to be okay?

They got to base and noticed a strange woman on the couch and were all completely baffled. She had her back turned so all they could really see was her slim figure and pink striped hair. She turned to them and Jack felt a sense of familiarity looking at that face. It was as if he knew her

"Arcee…?"

"Yes"

"How is that possible, how do we know you're really Arcee" Miko asked

"Let's see, you are Miko Nakadai, you just got your driver's license, but Bulkhead still won't let you drive his alt mode. Rafael your full name is now Rafael Esquivel Darby, June adopted you last year" she said as she stood and came to the edge of the platform

"Okay, you're Arcee" Miko said

"No… wait, any human could open up a few files and find out just about all of that" Jack cut in "and the part about Bulkhead not letting Miko drive, with her record that would be a reasonable assumption anyone could come to"

"He's right, then if you don't see that as proof of my identity Jack, you ask me the question… any question"

"What _exactly_ happened to strand Arachnid on Earth?"

"You used your survival kit to light a piece of wood on fire and threw it into the Energon tank that was ripped open when her ship crash landed causing the entire ship to blow up, and if it hadn't been for her hearing you striking that flint you would have been successful in your attempt to destroy her" Arcee said shifting her weight to one foot "There isn't a human alive that knows the whole story of what happened on that mountain"

"He did _what_?" Ratchet bellowed in shock

"The only thing that saved that pit spawned spider was that her audio receptors are extra sensitive" Arcee seethed

Arcee hadn't been at all surprised by Jack's attempting to rid the galaxy of Arachnid, but she had been surprised at how very close he had come to being successful. She was grateful that he was so willing to fight for her even with the odds stacked against him proving himself a true friend and a good partner, even if, in that moment, a bit shortsighted.

She sighed, inwardly wondering exactly how short she was. She had no way to tell but she could tell she was short.

"I wonder… how much have I actually shrank"

The three teens joined her on the platform and she realized, much to her irritation, that her 'junior partner' was now taller than her. Miko was maybe an inch or two taller and Rafael was just a bare few inches shorter than her leading her to believe she was indeed quite short

"Best way to tell is to measure, I know I'm almost 5ft 11inches" Jack stated he had had an unusually late growth spurt that accounted for him being taller than his mother but not by much. She could seem to remember June saying that Rafael was around four foot seven inches tall. Arcee had attempted to estimate the difference using the known heights of Rafael and Jack but that still left her confused so she had to admit that Jack was right

"5 feet even" Jack read off the measuring tape once he had finished measuring

Ratchet knew that, by human standards, that was considered to be rather short for a full grown woman and the barely noticeable height difference between her and Miko, who wasn't quite finished growing, proved that.

"So no matter what, I'm still short, perfect" Arcee muttered and went back to sit on the couch

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Charles was learning that Mystique had taken interest in Rafael, too much interest for his tastes. He gathered five of his students, four of whom were planning on moving out anyway and asked them if they would be willing to move to Jasper, if only temporarily to keep an eye on Rafael and protect him from Mystique and Magneto. They jumped at the chance, but it was planned that one of them would return once the immediate danger from the two terrorists had passed.<p>

* * *

><p>Jack was still trying to digest Arcee being <em>human,<em> or appearing human anyway. Ratchet had explained that she wasn't organic, she just looked like she was, but it was still a lot to take in on top of everything else he had learned that day.

"Jack"

He looked back to see Arcee standing behind him

"You okay …?" it was obvious that she was genuinely concerned about him even with what she was going through

"Yeah, I'm fine; I've just got a lot on my mind" Jack sighed as she joined him by the edge of the platform

"Want to tell me?"

"I… I asked Sierra out on date today, and… and she told me she had a boyfriend, always did. She was just flirting with me because she wanted to make her _actual_ boyfriend jealous so he'd pay attention to her!" Jack hit the railing with his palm in anger and Arcee winced she hadn't seen him like this before

She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder

"I'm sorry, Jack" Arcee sighed gently "You didn't deserve to be treated that way"

"She was using me Arcee!"

"I know, Jack, and you deserve so much better and if Sierra can't see how good you are she doesn't deserve you. There is a girl out there for you, Jack. You just haven't found her yet"

"Thanks, Arcee" he replied as he hugged her

* * *

><p>In town Yessenia, Taylor, Charlie, Kathy and Li-Na were moving into the house that Taylor had purchased for them. Her family was wealthy due to the fact that they bred. Trained and sold rodeo horses, not to mention the fact that she and her father rode in them and she had recently ridden her way to a championship buckle in barrel racing.<p>

"Li-Na, where is Charlie, she told me she was going to help with this?" Kathy asked as she carried a box from the moving van

"She's coming" Li-Na replied "She's just confirming her position at the KO Diner and getting her schedule"

"Li-Na, take this" Taylor said handing the Korean-American a box from the truck "Yessenia we have heavy and I believe metal, so that's your specialty"

"On it" Yessenia said and used her magnetic powers to move the metal object into the garage and then into the house. They had the back end of the truck practically pulled into the garage so they could safely use mutant powers without alerting the neighbors to their gifts

"What about this?" Kathy said indicating something rather large object

"Hold off on that, Jack is bringing Rafael to see Yessenia later, maybe we can talk him into helping"

"Taylor you can lift that easy… you put it in here!" Kathy protested not liking the idea of using their guest. "If you won't move it I will"

Kathy put her hands to her temples and the object floated inches off the floor and then levitated its way into the house to be unpacked. She did that due to the fact that she knew she didn't have the arm strength of her rodeo rider friend.

It was about an hour later when a yellow and black muscle car pulled into the driveway

"Hi Jack, Rafael… how are you doing today?" Kathy asked with a smile

"We're good Kathy, where is Yessenia?" Jack asked

"She's inside" Kathy said

"Do you need any help?" Jack asked

"No, we've got things under control here" Kathy replied with a smile "Thanks for asking

Yessenia came outside at hearing Jack's voice and immediately went to hug her brother who returned it with a tired looking smile. This instantly sent up a red flag in Yessenia's mind, the last few times she spent time with Rafael he easily had energy enough to outlast her and Jack but that didn't seem the case today. Either he had a harder day than Jack or something was very wrong. She also noticed that he kept sipping on his beverage as they entered the house, he didn't think too much of it at the moment, thirst was thirst, that was nothing to really mull over too much, but in combination with the exhaustion she wondered if it was a sign of something bigger than what they could see. She suggested that they play a video game; it was one that he had wanted to play since it came out but today not even that struck his interests and drew even more concerned.

The boys left a few hours later saying that they needed to be home before curfew and once they were gone Yessenia grabbed her cell phone and called June.

"Ms. Darby, its Yessenia. I… I don't want to panic you in any way but I think you might want to keep an eye on Rafael, he didn't seem right to me. He came over with a medium drink from the KO diner that Jack told me they just got refilled before they came and within an hour he an emptied it. It was like he couldn't get enough to drink, he didn't want to ask me for anything else to drink but I could tell he was still thirsty." She paused "he also seemed extremely tired, I have a stack of games that I bought specifically for him… so we could have something to do together but… even when I asked him to play one of them with me he wasn't interested and he had told me personally that he had wanted to play that game since it came out. He wasn't interested he… he didn't seem to feel well."

"Yessenia, thank you for bringing this to my attention, I'll look into this and keep you up to date with what I find out.

"Thank you, Ms. Darby… you don't know how much it means to me that you are so willing to keep me in the loop on my brother's condition"

"No problem, like you said, he's your brother you deserve to be kept up to date with his condition.

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

June got off the phone with the doctor's office that morning; she had an appointment for Rafael to see the doctor the next day, which unfortunately placed it on Jack's birthday. It was early so barring any need to hospitalize Rafael; June figured that they could still give Jack a birthday party.

"What's going on, mom?" Rafael asked

"You have a doctor's appointment tomorrow"

"Why?"

"Raf, I know you don't want to admit it but I can see you don't feel good, but it would help if you told me exactly how you feel" June said

Rafael gave a defeated sigh; he should have known that, as a nurse, June wouldn't be in the dark about his problems long.

"I'm always thirsty and I feel tired a lot. I don't really feel hungry either, even when I know I should"

"Why didn't you tell me about this, Raf?"

"I don't know, I just didn't want to bother you"

"You are never a bother, Raf" June said hugging him gently

June had already given Jack fair warning that her making an ASAP appointment for Rafael might put the appointment on his birthday, but Jack didn't care. He had also noticed that Rafael wasn't feeling well and he wanted to know what was going on. In many ways this didn't surprise June as given Jack's age he didn't really need her attention and understood that Rafael did need that attention plus she wasn't hovering over Jack the way she used to, not that Jack would ever admit that was a reason he liked having Raf in the house. He cared about Rafael and showed it in different ways including being highly protective of Raf and helpful if the younger boy came to him with a problem.

Rafael took a sip of his milk but June noticed he seemed disinterested in his breakfast which she knew for a fact that he liked. Seeing this concerned her greatly but she knew that the doctor would be able to tell her why this was happening and what they could do about it.

* * *

><p>Arcee woke in the part of the base that had been set up should the humans have to remain overnight. It had been less than 24 hours since she turned human and they no more understood what had occurred then they did at the time of the event which concerned her.<p>

She groaned and looked at the newly assigned cell phone. She had needed it since she no longer had direct access to the com line. She let out another groan as the object in question began to ring. She answered to hear Jack on the other end sounding concerned.

"Jack, what's going on?"

"We believe something may be very wrong with Raf. Mom said it isn't to the point where we need to panic, she's taking him to the doctor in the morning"

"But you're still panicking" she deduced as she walked to the human sized ground bridge controls

"Arcee, who cleared you to leave this base," Ratchet asked

"Ratchet, I'm needed at the Darby's house"

"The humans are very capable of dealing with their own problems" Ratchet contradicted "You aren't going anywhere'

Arcee growled

"Growl all you like it's not going to change my decision"

Arcee got off the phone and spun around to the medic a fire in her eyes

"Why the frag are you keeping me here like this?"

"To protect you from the Decepticons, you should know better than anyone that if Arachnid found you like this she'd kill you in a second"

"How would she know it was me?"

"You're giving off a weak Autobot beacon; it's your unique beacon. Your new look won't throw her off for long!"

Arcee groaned Ratchet was right Arachnid would take advantage of this situation and take her out, then turn around and kill Jack. Arcee bristled and went back into the base

* * *

><p>Yessenia and Kathy were close to the KO Diner, Kathy had tracked Mystique to near this location and Yessenia knew for a fact that June planed on picking Jack up from work that particular day giving Mystique the perfect opportunity to try for Rafael.<p>

Yessenia noticed the former high school principal standing casually by the bike rack and nearly lost it. She hated Mystique, especially after the shape shifter had gotten past her defenses and broke her nose.

"Easy Yessenia, we don't need you blowing our cover" Kathy warned ominously, "we knew she'd be here for Rafael, we should have known that Magneto and Mystique wouldn't let a boy of his talent slip past. We both know he won't come to their cause willingly so she would have to take him by force and that's when we remind her that he is under our protection"

"Okay"

Rafael and June got out of the car and June became instantly suspicious of the brunette leaning by the bike rack and kept Rafael close to herself.

Yessenia and Kathy came from their hiding spots and Kathy did her best to keep herself between Mystique and Yessenia

"So you've come for our rematch Polaris, and you brought Charles Xavier's little princess for backup… how cute"

"**This is going to get ugly, you might want to get Rafael into the diner**" Kathy projected to June telepathically "**They have an explosive history and I don't think I can talk Yessenia down**"

'_Okay_'

Rafael held fast to his spot as June tried to pull him away

"Yessenia" he said softly

Kathy was shocked at the change in Yessenia's expression, her brother's voice cutting through the rage and lust for vengeance

Suddenly Mystique noticed the other girls coming into the scene

"You aren't going to get him Mystique" Li-Na stated flatly

"He is under the protection of the X-Men, don't forget it!"

"Face it Mystique you're surrounded, you have nowhere to run… come back and we will get you again, that's a promise!" Yessenia said in a low growl

"Apparently you're cronies have left you high and dry, who's to say they'll ever help you with this mission!" Taylor said

Mystique suddenly realized she had no backup and turned into a crow and flew away.

"Thank you, girls, but what was that about?"

"That was Mystique, she's a shape shifter that works for Magneto, she does most of his recruiting, but I doubt she'll return with Yessenia around and sworn to vengeance for injuries she sustained at Mystique's hands" Kathy replied "Taylor can pick out her sent from a crowd no matter what happens your son is safe"

"Her actual name is Raven Darkholm, or that is the name she is using now" Li-Na explained as they entered the restaurant

"Those of us that went to Bayville High school before this last year knew her as the principal" Kathy added

"Okay, I know Kathy and Yessenia, but you two"

"I'm Li-Na Kim; I emigrated from South Korea three years ago with my parents"

"I'm Taylor Byron; I'm actually from a small town in Virginia so this desert climate is still foreign to me"

"You'll get used to it, just give it time" June assured her "Just do your best to stay hydrated"

"I do my best to make sure all four of these yahoos stay hydrated" the girl behind the counter said "I'm Charlotte Dewhurst, my friends call me Charlie, I'm from Henderson, Nevada so this climate old news to me"

"I'm June Darby"

"Darby… you wouldn't happen to be related to the poor kid they stuck in drive thru all week, Jack Darby" Charlie asked leaning on the counter as they heard Jack nearly swear from his position at the window

"Another drive off," Charlie asked

"Third one in two days"

"Ouch…" Charlie shook her head "the problem with drive away customers is whatever they don't pay comes out of the paycheck of whoever is working drive thru, and they sure do like to put Jack on drive thru"

Jack looked out into the lobby

"Mom"

"Jack, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay" he sighed

"Okay, that answers my earlier question" Charlie said noticing the sad look that crossed June's face that whatever those teenaged clowns didn't pay for her son had to

For the first time June really took a look at the faces around her. Kathy Xavier was a sweet looking girl, her blue eyes held a gentle wisdom beyond her nineteen years, Li-Na looked pure Asian, and probably very proud of her Korean heritage, June figured heads might roll if someone called Li-Na anything other than Korean. Yessenia favored her brother, but unlike Rafael her brown hair fell in curls that framed her face. Taylor had chocolate brown hair and dark eyes that sparkled with life and curiosity. She then looked to Charlie, who like Kathy had beautiful blonde hair, but where Kathy's was a beautiful yellow-blonde Charlie's was more of a honey color and currently pulled into a tight, professional looking French braid. Charlie had looked to Jack sympathetically; she knew that wasn't a fun position to take especially with the drive away customers cutting into what little pay he got.

"Jack, clock out, your shift is over" Charlie said as another boy a little older than Jack clocked in

Jack gratefully clocked out and got his clock out slip for his personal records but it wasn't like he ever needed them.

"Do you need anything before you get on your way?" Charlie asked

They got some drinks and left.

Charlie sighed as her replacement clocked in allowing her to leave for the day.

"Do we know why Mystique's cronies left her high and dry?"

"I can explain" a voice said

The girls turned to see Lance Alvers standing behind them

"Speak quickly, Alvers" Taylor said

"We didn't realize exactly what Mystique was going to do, we are willing to commit petty crimes but that's to live. We weren't going to force a kid that small that obviously had no interest in our cause, which isn't much of a cause anymore, to endure what we have to" Lance explained

Li-Na looked at Yessenia and Kathy

"Guess we should thank you for that, we believe that Rafael is having severe medical problems and you keeping him out of Mystique and Magneto's hands might have saved his life" Kathy stated noticing how Yessenia turned away worry evident in the action

Lance was going to make a crude comment about the X-men not having to fly Rafael back to Jasper but he noticed something else.

"There's more than that going on here, isn't there Polaris" Lance could be called cold and brooding but not completely heartless "you and he… he's family to you"

"Yeah… he's my brother" Yessenia confessed

"Well that's going to take the wind out of Mystique's sails when she finds out" Lance said "by the way… she won't find out from me"

* * *

><p>The next day June called into the school to tell them that Jack would be there but Rafael would not due to a doctor's appointment.<p>

"They got to the office and June signed him in.

"Dr. Mitchell won't be here; he had an emergency and doesn't know when he'll be able to come back. He sent in a substitute I hope that's okay"

June agreed that would work because she didn't feel that what was going on could wait until Mitchell returned. She then went to sit by Rafael to wait. She looked over to see him playing a game on his laptop, she was concerned about him but she tried not to let him know how much she feared was really going on.

It took half an hour for them to get called back his vitals checked and be placed in an exam room, and another twenty minutes for the new doctor to get around to them.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Alexx Woods, what seems to be the trouble today"

June explained the symptoms to Alexx and Alexx did some checks herself and June watched. She could nine times out of ten tell the doctors that were parents from those that weren't by the way they handled children.

"You really don't feel good, do you sweetie"

He shook his head

"We'll why don't we see if we can turn that around" Alexx ordered blood work, suspicions floating in her mind from what June had told her. She told June of this but also warned that it could take up to twenty-four hours

"Unfortunately for mothers like me, lab work takes what it takes" June commented as Rafael excused himself to go to the bathroom

"You speak as if you know about these things… I noticed you used terms I don't hear from parents"

"I'm not just a parent… I'm a nurse at the local hospital"

"Ah… so you understand what's going on better than most mothers that come through here with sick children" Alexx said "Baby we've been cursed with a double edged sword, we have the knowledge to handle almost any medical problem our children can toss our way, when we know what is… when we don't our brains are running up to fifteen possibilities and none of them sound good"

"Isn't that the truth" June sighed

"I've got little babies; my oldest is about Rafael's age, what about you"

"Rafael is the younger of my two boys… my oldest is turning eighteen today" June sighed "I don't want to lean on him… he has so much on his mind, but I have no husband to lean on"

"You fear you may have to put more responsibility on your older son and he'll resent it" Alexx assumed

"I mean he was made an instant older brother when I adopted Rafael. It was right around his seventeenth birthday so he's only technically been an older brother for a year"

June sighed, she could hear Rafael's small footfalls as he came back, she needed to keep up the façade of strength for him; she didn't want to frighten him more so than he already was

"Doctor, I do have a concern, Rafael's biological sister Yessenia is allergic to latex I was wondering if there was a chance Rafael could develop the same allergy"

"That certainly would put him at a risk, but right now we don't use latex in this office so either way we have no reason to be really concerned"

Rafael entered the room completely not looking forward to having blood drawn, he hated needles with a passion, had since he was small. His experiences with them had always ended badly

Alexx had the kit for drawing a blood sample for the lab. Alexx noticed initially that he was very tense and she made eye contact with June. That was all the prompting June needed, she could read the situation as well as Alexx could.

"Now you look away baby; and this won't take long" Alex said gently and June took a position by Rafael drawing his attention and striking up a conversation about his latest school project which, in Rafael's case was sufficient distraction from the task at hand.

"I'm done; see that wasn't that bad, was it?"

"You… you're done already"

"Told you it would be quick" Alexx smiled

Alexx assured June that she would call as soon as the results came back and June took Rafael home to wait.

* * *

><p>The next day came and June got a phone call that the results were in. She was surprised when Alexx requested that she and Rafael return to the office.<p>

"Mom, I'll come too, it's Saturday and my shift isn't for like three hours" Jack said placing a hand on his mother's shoulder

"Okay"

June, Rafael and Jack arrived at the office and were waved back to an exam room.

"Hi Doctor, this is Jack"

"Hi" Jack said awkwardly as he followed his brother to the exam table where he helped the smaller boy up before settling himself beside Rafael on the table

"June I'd explain, but I think you'll get the picture by just looking at the lab report" Alexx said handing June the report on a metal clip board. June read over the report and nearly dropped the whole thing.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom, what's wrong?" Jack asked leaving his brother's side to stand by his mother

"Kidney failure… he's in complete kidney failure" June said still not believing that it was real

"We need to talk dialysis now because we need to get this plan in motion immediately and get him to the specialist to see if there is any hope of salvaging his kidneys or if he is going to need a donor" Alexx said

Jack got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that they would need a donor and he was well aware of two facts that complicated this matter. One he was unable to donate due to the fact that he was nowhere near a blood type match to Rafael and two Rafael possessed one of those blood types that was extremely uncommon and meant it would take longer to find a matching donor.

"I'm going to go call Yessenia and let her know what's going on" Jack said and started for the exit

"No, Jack you stay with Rafael, I'll call Yessenia and let her know what's happening"

* * *

><p>Kathy sighed as the phone rang. She answered to hear June on the other end, she needed to speak with Yessenia. Kathy handed the phone to her friend then returned to packing up to return home to New York. She looked up just in time to see Yessenia nearly drop the phone.<p>

"When did you find out he was in kidney failure… yes… Oh God, June I… I don't know what to tell you I wish I could help, I wish I could donate but I can't I'm not a blood type match to Rafael."

Kathy sighed quietly, she knew there were other reasons Yessenia couldn't be her brother's kidney donor beyond just a blood type mismatch but she also knew that Yessenia really didn't like to talk about the other reason because it dredged up memories of the loss of her parents.

Jack sighed that night as he looked in on Rafael. He had found himself unable to sleep after finding out that Rafael might need a donor kidney to survive. He had started dialysis that day and would continue with home or peritoneal dialysis and he and June were mastering the process quickly.

* * *

><p>A couple of days later they learned for a fact that Rafael needed a new kidney because his were beyond any hope of salvage. June told Yessenia about this in front of Jack and she reiterated the fact that she was unable to help much to her displeasure which infuriated Jack. He followed her as she left to go to her job<p>

"Why won't you help him, Yessenia, you're his best hope of a donor" Jack demanded

"Because I _can't_ Jackson"

"Why can't you?"

"One I'm not a blood type match and two I don't have a kidney to spare. I lost my right kidney in the accident that cost us our parents!" Yessenia roared "It was damaged and had to be removed along with my appendix"

"I'm sorry, Yessenia, I didn't know"

"Next time, don't accuse me of not caring, or wanting to help save my brother, I'd gladly lay down my life for him!" Yessenia snapped tears streaming down her face.

Jack hugged her near apologizing again for questioning her love for her brother.

"I'm afraid, Jack" she managed through her tears

"I know you are, Yessenia… I am too" Jack confessed as Yessenia cried on his shoulder

* * *

><p>Arcee groaned in frustration the news of the situation with Rafael was filtering to her from various sources. She was worried about Jack because she could tell he wasn't taking it well. She so wished she could be there to help Jack and find out all of this first hand because she knew that she wasn't getting the whole story, it wasn't possible. More importantly she wished she could get off base.<p>

Ratchet sighed as he watched the still human Arcee flip through channels on the television that had been provided for the human children. He hated restricting her to base but he knew in the end that was keeping her safe. He watched as she tossed the remote on the couch, frustrated that she could find nothing to watch

"Why don't you try out the children's video games?" Ratchet suggested "It seems to entertain them pretty well"

* * *

><p>She considered it for a moment then decided to try it out.<p>

Optimus sighed as he and Bumblebee drove down a deserted stretch of highway in the middle of nowhere

Bumblebee let out a concerned string of chirps and clicks

"I am okay, Bumblebee, Just… I just feel bad about what is happening to Arcee" he sighed "I have preached for eons that freedom is the right of all sentient beings but for the last four days I have had to deprive Arcee of the simple freedom of leaving the walls of our base. It honestly feels as if I am being a hypocrite, not following my own words"

Bumblebee buzzed and let out another string of chirps and clicks leave his damaged vocal processor, but the comforting tone in that was not lost on the Autobot leader or the meaning of those sounds.

"I know, Bumblebee, but… it still hurts my spark to deny her the ability to come and go as she likes"

Bumblebee understood what Arcee felt and if he didn't know for a fact that he would get caught and get them both severely reprimanded he would have taken her out of base for a drive. He also understood what Optimus was feeling as he felt a bit like that as well, like they were imprisoning their friend, but it was to keep her safe and functioning. That thought didn't keep the guilt completely at bay.

To Optimus it seemed odd that Bumblebee was giving him words of comfort and encouragement when it wasn't too long that the roles had been reversed and Optimus was the one giving comfort to a distressed Bumblebee.

* * *

><p>Yessenia sighed inwardly, it had taken a lot to tell Jack the truth. She didn't often tell people about the injury she had sustained all those years ago due to the fact that it dredged up so many bad memories for her and reopened the wounds left by the loss of her parents and having her brother ripped from her.<p>

"Yessenia, are you okay?" Li-Na asked

"Yeah, I'll be okay" Yessenia sighed

"You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Yeah, thanks Li"

"You're welcome"

* * *

><p>"Later that day the girls found themselves invited to go to the Autobot outpost on the request of Prime himself.<p>

"Kathy, you met Optimus Prime before, what is he like?" Charlie asked as the girls rode to the base following close behind June to make sure they made it to the right place.

"He's a lot like my father" Kathy replied "Willing to stand up for what he believes is right and favors a peaceful approach whenever possible, but he knows that it isn't always possible." Kathy smiled and settled into her seat "you'll see when we get there"

Kathy knew of June's concerns about Rafael

"**Don't worry, June, we'll find a donor for your son"** she assured the woman telepathically

"I hope you're right" was the reply she got

They arrived on base and Charlie, Li-Na and Taylor were blown away by what they saw. Kathy was more struck by what she felt, not from her teammates but from the Autobots. Each seemed worried about something some more so than others. She then got to Optimus and the worry and guilt that plagued his spark hit her like a ton of bricks. Then she realized that there was someone missing, Arcee.

"Optimus, where is Arcee?" she asked

"I'm right here, just human"

Kathy whipped around to see the woman that had spoken to her and was shocked by what she saw.

I know, shocking, right?"

Kathy could feel Arcee's frustration, annoyance and her general wishing to leave the base. Kathy smiled inwardly as a plan formed in her mind; she sent that plan telepathically to her teammates who unanimously agreed it was the right thing to do.

"Optimus, may I speak with you in private?" she asked turning back to Prime

"Of course" Optimus said wondering what Kathy could possibly have to say that she couldn't say in front of her team or the Autobots so they went into a private area of the base to speak

"What is it you wished to tell me, Kathy"

"Optimus, part of my telepathy gives me the ability to feel the emotions of others around me as if they were my own. Today I learned that ability stretched beyond humans to Cybertronians as well and I know that you feel guilty that you have to restrict Arcee to base. You feel like doing this makes you a hypocrite because you have so long preached freedom for all, yet you have to restrict Arcee to base when you know in your spark that isn't what she wants."

"You seem to be able to read me almost too well" he sighed

"That may be true, but I come to propose a solution that will grant her the freedom that you and she desire that she have while still keeping her safe" Kathy smiled slightly

"What might that solution you speak of entail?"

"I am returning to New York in a couple of days leaving my team with an empty room, I asked them about it and they agreed that it seems like a good alternative to let her come and live with them. They can insure she is safe there while still allowing her the freedom to roam the city with them alleviating the cramped feeling she has currently."

"That is kind of you to offer, but that would put your friends at great peril and I cannot condone the sacrifice of a single human life"

"We can defend ourselves Optimus, we aren't normal humans, we are mutants with great powers and the knowledge to use them for purposes like this. It isn't like we aren't already in peril, we know of your secrets and we're X-Men, the brotherhood and Acolytes are real threats, although they do seem to focus more on the school. We believe that we can make a difference and help Arcee, while you don't wish to put us at risk you aren't putting us at any more risk than we have faced prior" Kathy sighed and explained the girls' abilities to Optimus who seemed to mull over what she was saying.

The duo froze at the sound of a rather large commotion in the main base.

To Be Continued


	5. Chapter 5

Ratchet was working on a console when he heard a dull thud and Miko Yelling at Jack. He turned to see Jack sprawled out on the floor unconscious with Miko and Rafael trying desperately to rouse him.

"What happened?" Ratchet asked

"We don't know, one minute he was walking to his backpack and the next he had hit the floor" Rafael explained

Ratchet placed Jack on a human sized medical table where June and Arcee came to his side. Arcee looked extremely upset

"Arcee I need you to step back, I know you're upset but you're in my way, I'll let you know something when I figure it out" June ordered angrily

Charlie and Li-Na came to Arcee and guided her away as Optimus and Kathy got there

"Ratchet, what has happened?" Optimus asked

"Jack collapsed, but we are currently at a loss for a cause"

"Miko, what was he doing when he collapsed" June asked

"He stood and went to get his back-pack; I thought he looked a bit unsteady so I said something. He told me that he was okay and then he collapsed"

"Okay" June turned back to her son and sighed as she looked him over, checking his pulse and other vital signs. She then noticed the bags under his eyes and things began to come together for June

"This is a combination of stress and extreme exhaustion" she concluded wrapping her stethoscope around her neck.

Jack began to awaken and groaned at the angered look on his mother's face. The last thing he remembered starting over to his back pack. He had told Miko he was okay and then everything went black.

"Jackson, when was the last time you had a decent night sleep, and lying won't do you a bit of good now" she said

Jack gave a defeated sigh and looked away from his mother

"The night before my birthday… the day you made Rafael's doctor's appointment"

"Jack, that's been over a week! Why would you do this to yourself?" June asked completely dumbfounded

"I was worried, I wanted to find out all I could about what was going on with Raf… so I spend my nights studying up on his condition… before he was diagnosed I was stressing out over what could be wrong and I couldn't sleep"

"Jackson, are you aware that you scared the hell out of us all! Rafael included, we had no idea what was wrong with you, Damn it, Raf has enough to deal with without having to worrying about you! June scolded furious that her eighteen year old son, the one she had thought capable of self-sustaining through this issue at hand but now she was wondering about that.

"I wanted to help you take care of him better"

June sighed while she wished he had managed his time better she understood why he did what he did

"While I appreciate your reasoning, staying awake nearly all night wasn't the best way to handle this situation" June sighed "get some sleep, I'll come check on you later"

"I've got a white noise player app on my phone if you think the sound will help you sleep, or at least drown us out" Yessenia said

"Won't that run your battery down?" Jack asked

"Maybe, but my phone has a full charge and I've got a usb charger so I can plug it into a computer if need be" Yessenia explained

"No, I think I'll be okay, thanks anyway"

"The offer is still out there if you change your mind" Yessenia said and gave Jack a sisterly hug then a light tap to the back of the head

"Scare my baby brother like that again and that little pat will turn into something that will hurt"

"I understand why you want to watch over your brother but why slap people on the back of the head?" Jack asked

"A slap in the face would be humiliating, a slap to the back of the back of the head is a wake-up call" Yessenia explained "I usually reserve that treatment for my teammates, but you… you're kind of like family so yeah, unfortunately, that kind of made you fair game."

"You just rest Jack, I'll check on you later" June said

Yessenia and June started out of the area set up for the humans and were surprised when the lights started to dim. They looked up and noticed Optimus at the light controls.

"Yessenia, I noticed that you always call Rafael by his full name, why is that, why don't you call him Raf like everyone else"

"Habit, I guess, I've always known him as Rafael or on occasion hermanito, which means little brother in Spanish. I just recently learned of people calling him Raf so I just can't seem to call him that myself because I've called him Rafael for so long changing it now would be difficult for me." Yessenia explained as they closed the door to the room Jack was now in.

Ratchet sighed as he mulled over Rafael's current medical state. June had requested a corner of his lab for the dialysis treatments should she have to treat him in the base. He had willingly cleaned and sanitized the space for her due to a fact that part of him feared that if it hadn't been for them he wouldn't have been exposed to Dark Energon and would still be perfectly healthy.

"Ratchet, Yessenia told me their father had kidney problems and they were told it could be a genetic problem and Rafael might inherit that problem from his father" June explained as Ratchet told her what he thought had happened

"Even if that was the case and he would have gotten sick either way the Dark Energon couldn't have been good for him, for all we know it could have hastened the process"

"Yes, Ratchet for all we know that is the case, but on the same note you have to realize if you weren't a part of his life I might have never become a part of his life because I would have never met him" June said

"I… I just wish there was more I could do to make him feel better" Ratchet said as he went through his available data on human medicine and the function of the kidneys trying to see if his Cybertronian technology might be able to create a better way to treat him or even a way to eliminate the need for a donor. Though it seemed much like replacing biological pieces on Cybertronians replacing human organs couldn't be replaced with artificial versions of that item… not easily anyway.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Optimus was giving Kathy's idea some serious consideration. Putting Arcee among humans would give her so much more useful knowledge of them and their cultures. It would also have the added benefit of allowing her to be out in the world instead of cadged up in the base. He sighed, as much as it pained him to put their new human allies at risk it seemed that the choice was being made for him.<p>

"Arcee, how would you like to go and stay with Yessenia and her teammates until we can return you to your original form" Optimus asked

"I don't know, Optimus" she sighed awkwardly "I don't know that much about being human"

"They know that and understand that you have a lot to learn. They have said they are willing to teach you what they can" Optimus explained

"Optimus I have to question the safety of this idea, sure, on the surface, this looks like a gift from Primus himself, but what if the Decepticons locate Arcee"

"Our mutant friends have proven that they are powerful despite their size and even if they don't seriously damage the Decepticons, I know that they are quite capable of holding their ground until we can come to take on the Decepticons ourselves"

"If you think they can handle it"

"I know they can" Optimus turned to Arcee "Are you going to take their offer our new allies are giving"

"Yes"

Optimus and Arcee went to let Kathy and Yessenia know what they had decided

"Looks like our girls club has a new member" Li-Na smiled

"Optimus we have an incoming ship with two Autobot beacons" Ratchet called

Optimus approached the console

"Unknown ship, this is Autobot Outpost Omega One, please Identify yourself"

"Optimus" a female voice replied

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

"Elita, my love" Optimus could barely contain what he felt in his spark "Who is with you"

"It's me, Optimus"

"Ironhide" Ratchet was stunned as he had been convinced the weapons expert had been off lined years ago

"Are we sure it's them?" Arcee asked as she was unable to get any vocal match readings in her current state

"100% vocal match on both" Ratchet confirmed

"How long will it take you to get here" Optimus asked Elita trying to mask his enthusiasm

"They gave an estimated time frame and Optimus gave them co-ordinance where they could land safely and then be bridged to the base

Kathy looked at the team she was about to leave. She knew they were equipped to handle themselves and their task. Not to mention they were more than capable of taking care of their temporary member.

They went home that night plus one person. Arcee had been invited to go ahead and come with them and she was more than happy to come. She was at this point ecstatic to leave the base.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Arcee asked looking to Kathy in confusion

"On the ride home, dad sent the Blackbird, the school's private jet, to get me so I didn't have to worry about my telepathy and empathy effecting me on a commercial flight because believe me it will" Kathy explained "I was going to leave a few days from now but something came up and I need to get home"

"Okay then, well it was good to see you again"

"Believe me, I will be back around soon" Kathy sighed

* * *

><p>June sighed as she went in to wake Jack. The Autobots had offered to allow him to remain on base so she didn't have to worry about waking him, but June declined. She thought it was best she took him home to recover from what he went through.<p>

"Jack, wake up, we're going home" June said

"Okay" Jack groaned only partially awake

They got into the car and were soon on their way home.

"Jack I'm glad you want to educate yourself on what is going on, but you shouldn't push yourself to the breaking point to do so" June sighed as they pulled into the driveway. She then looked back to check on Rafael who had been exceptionally quiet, even for him. A smile formed on June's features as she saw why he had been so quiet.

"Jack, do you think you could carry him to his bed?" June asked

"Why… oh" Jack shook his head with a smile as he saw his brother asleep leaning heavily on his shoulder belt

"If I don't wake him up, I can carry him no problem" Jack replied

"Will you?"

"Sure" Jack got out of the car and opened Rafael's door and gently removed his little brother from the vehicle. These moves caused him to stir slightly but not wake. Jack got him into bed and removed his shoes then started to his own room where he was stopped by June.

"Jack, I know this is all because you care about Rafael but please promise me you'll sleep tonight" June said

"I promise, mom" Jack said "right now all I want to do is crash"

Jack went into his room, closed his door, changed into his night clothes opened the door again then started to go to bed.

"Jack, why is your door open?" June asked

"In case Raf needs someone during the night" Jack replied

June smiled glad that her older son had taken so well to being an older brother and wondered not for the first time if Rafael really realized the lengths Jack would go to be there for him should he ask.

* * *

><p>The next morning Charlie went up to the hospital. She had to know if it was possible that she was the match Rafael so desperately needed.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Taylor, Li-Na, Yessenia and Arcee, now referred to as Sadie Fitzgibbons were going to the store to find Sadie a proper wardrobe. It was going to take hours and they were prepared; well all except Arcee, who was questioning the time they were taking even before they got to the dressing rooms.<p>

"You'll see, Sadie, it's all worth it" Li-Na commented

"Okay" Arcee replied skeptically as they gave her a few outfits to try on and show how they fit. Several of the pairs of pants later the girls had resigned themselves that the majority of the pants out there were going to need to be shortened, which the girls assured her was no big deal as Taylor was very good at it and Li-Na did it for a living. They reminded her she was their friend and they didn't mind using their talents to help her.

During this time Charlie joined them at the store

"Do Charlie what did you find out?" Taylor asked hanging back from the others so Yessenia didn't hear

"They should get the results within a day" Charlie replied

"Did you tell Yessenia what you're doing?"

"No, not until I know I can help" Charlie replied "I don't want to get her hopes up only to let her down"

"Okay" Taylor sighed as they rejoined the group, in a way she could understand why Charlie was doing; she didn't want to lead Yessenia to believe she would be the donor for Rafael only to find out she couldn't donate for whatever reason.

The next morning came and June was surprised when she got a phone call from Dr. Woods.

"We need you to bring Rafael to the hospital" Alexx said

"Why?"

"We found your baby a donor"

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7

This wasn't the first time June nearly dropped her telephone.

"Mom, what's going on?" Jack asked

"Jack… they found a donor for Rafael, Dr. Woods says it is a live donor"

* * *

><p>"So someone is actually volunteering to give up a kidney for Raf"<p>

June nodded

Yessenia was stunned Charlie told her she was donating her kidney for Rafael.

"Charlie I can't believe you're really doing this" Yessenia said

"Believe it, because I am" Charlie replied

They arrived at the hospital and Yessenia noticed June bringing Rafael in for the transplant. So far June hadn't seen her yet. Charlie was soon escorted to a pre-op room where her friends voiced their support for her one last time before being escorted out. Yessenia also voiced her gratitude saying that she would never be able to repay the debt she felt she was in from Charlie doing this.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Rafael was defiantly nervous and June wasn't surprised when Erin Brody entered. Erin was a kind hearted young nurse with an obvious soft spot for children thus she was regularly assigned to the pediatric unit and sent to coddle children nervous about being operated on as that was one of her strengths. She was single with no children of her own but few could tell when she stepped in to tend to her youthful charges.<p>

"Hello June, and you must be Rafael" she said her voice toned with a light Irish accent

Rafael nodded quietly, June knew this woman as she did most in this hospital but he was still nervous

"Most people call me Raf"

"Well Raf, I'm Erin, I just want you to know you have nothing to worry about" Erin said confidently as she prepared for the IV. Erin had once heard that working with children was very rewarding, which she wholeheartedly agreed to but she also stated that with the smaller children that only extends to the moment you have to stick them with a needle then they hate your guts. She smiled to Rafael knowing that he would be okay; even though he was leery of the needle he understood it was a necessary evil. Erin herself was a small woman at four foot ten inches tall, not much taller than Rafael himself making for an unimposing stance compared to children who might be already scared and honestly afraid of strangers. Her red hair was now tamed into a bun but during off hours it was much like Yessenia's hair very curly and sometimes unruly.

"Does he have any allergies?" Erin asked

"None that I am aware of, but I was warned that he is at a high risk of developing a latex allergy" June explained "she has gone into anaphylaxis before due to exposure"

"I'll let the others know to keep watch for any symptoms, but we seem okay for the moment" Erin replied returning to Rafael to get the IV in and prepare the thirteen year old for what was to come.

Ratchet sighed quietly as he noticed something peculiar and notified Optimus of his findings.

"I will take Bulkhead to check this out" Optimus said welcoming the distraction from worrying about Rafael

"Okay"

* * *

><p>Ratchet secretly wondered how many prayers had already been said to Primus along with the Earthly deities when it came to Rafael and the surgery he was about to undergo. He then looked at Elita-one and Ironhide they had barely arrived and were thrust into this emotional turmoil. Elita was calming Bumblebee who was obviously distressed by knowing what was going on with his partner but at the same time knowing there was nothing he could do to help<p>

"I will come too, Optimus" Ironhide said

"I welcome you, my friend" Optimus said

They got to the location and Bulkhead recognized the spot instantly.

"Isn't this where we picked up Arcee?"

"Indeed it is" Optimus replied

"What are we looking for" Bulkhead asked

"I don't know"

"What happened to Arcee?" Ironhide asked

"She was turned human by a yet unknown force" Optimus replied as they walked up on a familiar blue ninja motorcycle.

"That… that is Arcee's vehicular mode"

"Are you sure?" Bulkhead asked skeptically

"Very sure" Optimus replied

* * *

><p>June sighed as she paced, they had taken Rafael to the operating room twenty minutes earlier and she was fretting already, the next few hours were going to be long.<p>

"June, sit down, you aren't doing any good by pacing" Arcee stated

"It's keeping me busy, Sadie" June snapped

Arcee sighed at June's reaction, she wasn't surprised. June had just watched her baby we wheeled into an operating room to be cut open so someone could mess with his internal organs. She was scared and Arcee would have questioned her sanity if she hadn't been anything but scared out of her mind.

"I know Sheldon Hawkes is one of the best surgeons there is, but that was my son they wheeled in that operating room!"

"June calm down" Arcee said, but her words were lost on the nurse

"Nurse Darby you know you aren't doing yourself any favors worrying this way" one doctor said

"I know Dr. Robbins, but…"

"A friend of mine once said that 'worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere'. I understand that this is your son and you are allowed your worries but don't you have another son to check on?" Al Robbins said gently "As you said Sheldon is one of the best surgeons around, he and his team will tend to Rafael; you tend to Jackson for now then fuss over Rafael when he gets out of surgery"

It sounded so easy when Al said it, but to June the instinct to want to know that both of her boys were okay was just too strong to ignore. The fact that one was in jeopardy made it that much worse for June.

* * *

><p>Yessenia was kneeling in the chapel with her rosary in hand praying for her brother and best friend. It was hard for her to think that she had just found her brother and now was in danger of losing him forever. She heard a male sigh as she sat beside her.<p>

"Can I help you?" she asked with a little more bite than she intended but she was upset

"No, but I think I can help you" he said gently "my name is Leo, I'm the hospital chaplain, I couldn't help noticing what you were doing and thought you might need someone to talk to"

Yessenia sighed, she was talking to someone but this meant she'd actually hear a response; she sat on the pew beside Leo

"my brother just went in for a kidney transplant, my best friend went in as his donor" Yessenia explained

Leo winced slightly at those words and the obvious fear behind them.

* * *

><p>Ratchet sighed as he investigated Arcee's cybertronian body. They had yet to alert her to their discovery as he wanted to make sense of why it was abandoned with apparently nothing missing except Arcee's consciousness which now inhabited a humanoid body.<p>

"This doesn't make sense, Optimus!" he said for about the fourth time since this discovery was made.

"I know it does not, but this is what we must deal with" Optimus sighed

"Bumblebee is so worried about Rafael he doesn't know what to do with himself" Elita sighed stating the obvious "and there is nothing we can do about it" Elita paused looking over to the young scout "'ll just be glad when this is over and the child is safe"

"I think that goes for us all my love" Optimus sighed reflecting on how Ironhide and Elita had nearly crashed on their way to the planet but he had been happy to find out they were okay.

June sat heavily in a chair beside Jack and Arcee. It seemed like it had been days since Rafael was wheeled away but in reality it had only been hours. She looked up as Dr. Hawkes entered the room.

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8

"Ms. Darby the transplant went well and I am optimistic that this was a success" Sheldon said "They are about to bring Rafael in, just be warned he will be groggy for a while"

"I know, doctor" June replied

A few agonizing minutes later Rafael was wheeled into the room. He looked to be about ninety percent asleep and just seeing him again made June almost cry with relief.

June smiled as Rafael looked to her

"Just sleep now, you can begin your real recovery later" she said

Meanwhile Yessenia was praising God after hearing everything had gone well.

* * *

><p>Arcee groaned as her cell phone rang. She got outside and answered it.<p>

"Arcee, I think I have an answer as to what happened to you"

Bulkhead picked up Arcee and they returned to base. They arrived a few moments later and Ratchet launched into his explanation.

"From what I've discovered this whole mess is from a new subroutine that turns your holographic rider into a solid body and transfers your conscious mind to that form" Ratchet stated

Arcee was stunned

"And if I'm right I can use this for all of us"

"So how do I…"

"Return to your full Cybertronian body, simple," he instructed her to get on the motorcycle and focus on being that form again. She did and to her shock it worked, for the first time in over a week she felt normal. She transformed to her robot mode.

"I'm back" she said triumphantly then activated her com link to contact Jack

"Jack, I'm back to normal" she announced

"That's great, Arcee" he said happy for her "Raf is out of surgery and they say he should be fine"

"Today seems to be filled with good news, doesn't it, partner"

"How did they change you back?"

"I'll explain later" she replied

They disconnected and Arcee turned to Ratchet

"Thanks for getting me back, Ratchet" she said

"No need to thank me" he replied

Ratchet then went to working on getting the new subroutine prepared for everyone else. He first tested to make sure Arcee could change back and forth without issue before giving it to the bots that were there.

"These new forms should conserve the Energon we have since they require so much less to function" Ratchet commented

"Yeah, it should, and it also means the wardrobe the girls bought me won't go to waste" Arcee commented lightly, but she could tell that Bumblebee wasn't taking her attempt at humor very well.

"Bee, Raf came through the surgery just fine" Arcee assured him

"*How do you know?*" Bumblebee shot back

"Because Jack told me when I called him"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile June ran her fingers through Raf's hair as he slept off what anesthesia was left in his system. June had noticed from the time she met Rafael that he was small for his age. She had at first been dubious when he said he was twelve, but then later found out that he was indeed being truthful in his declaration of being 'twelve and a quarter'. His insistence on adding the 'and a quarter' to the end still to this day made her smile. He might have been the quietest of the trio but he had his pride.<p>

In foster care Rafael's quiet nature had led to issues with him being left out a lot. He wasn't one to step up and make demands unless pushed _hard_ thus his caretakers sometimes missed his needing them.

Paige Mathews, his social worker, had referred to him as a type B personality and had wondered if this lack of much desire for competition had a part in his being adopted so late. 12 year olds rarely got adopted out of the system thus Paige had been thrilled when June came forward to adopt Rafael.

June was jolted from her thoughts by a knock at the door to Rafael's hospital room. She turned to see Paige standing there holding a card and a container of food.

"How is he doing?" Paige asked

"A lot better, what brings you?"

"Just wanted to check in, I wish I could have come to check on him sooner, he kind of feels like family to me and I wanted to support him better. Thus why I am here now to check on him" she smiled "my sisters heard as well and they wanted me to bring this get well soon card and some of Piper's famous lasagna. I checked with the nurses, they said he could have some of this once he's awake enough to eat. I brought enough for him, you and Jack"

"Tell her I appreciate her going out of her way to send this for us" June said

"I'll let her know, she said she felt this was the best way she could contribute, she might not know Rafael, but she could see how this affected me and wanted to help me contribute to his recovery. Phoebe, my other sister would have sent something but… she couldn't think of anything to send so she picked out the card"

"I would like to meet your sisters one day and thank them for taking the time to think of us" June said taking the dish from Paige and placing it on the table

"Piper is actually downstairs right now if you want to come meet her. She had to bring her son, Wyatt, he's just 6 months old and with Raf just out of surgery we thought it best we not bring Wyatt up here just to be safe"

"That was probably best" June replied as Jack entered the room

"Paige this is Jack"

"Hi, I was Rafael's social worker, now I guess you could just call me a concerned friend"

* * *

><p>Yessenia was reentering the hospital from taking a walk when she noticed a woman holding a blonde baby boy.<p>

"Aww, he's so cute" she said idly

"Thank you" the woman said with a smile

"I'm Yessenia"

"I'm Piper, and this is Wyatt" Piper replied, "Are you visiting someone here at the hospital?"

"My brother, Rafael, he just got a kidney transplant"

"Rafael Darby"

"I'm actually his biological sister; we were split after our parents died. He was 2 I was 7 we were just reunited not too long ago." Yessenia sighed "it was kind of bittersweet for me; I mean a lot of things about our parents still seem so vivid in my mind and yet he has no memories of them. I shouldn't be surprised though" Yessenia paused "you probably aren't interested in this"

"Actually I am, my sister Paige told me a little about him, but not about you"

"Because we were separated I grew up moving between Las Vegas and Henderson Nevada and my social worker was a woman named Nancy. I started out being treated as if I didn't speak very good English until they realized I was bilingual"

* * *

><p>Jack sighed as he leaned back in his chair trying his best to resist the desire to claw at that spot just below his left elbow that had recently flared on him. None of his friends knew of the condition that caused this and he wanted to keep it that way, at least until Rafael recovered. One medical condition was all they needed to deal with at a time; that was all the worry he was willing to subject his mother too.<p>

To Be Continue…


	9. Chapter 9

June sighed as she worked, everyone in the hospital realized she really wanted to be in there coddling her son who had major surgery not 48 hours earlier.

"He's doing just fine, June" one of the other nurses said "I was just in there, he was asleep"

"Okay, I'll just check on him before I clock out for the evening" June said realizing she needed to make sure Jack was okay

Jack sighed as he scratched his arm. His mother would have scolded him to no ends if she caught him scratching this spot below his elbow but it felt good to him at the moment. Then Miko noticed what was going on.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just an itch, Miko, no big deal" he dismissed

"Really, let me see it" she said

"No, Miko!"

"Jack, come on, if it's just an itch why can't I see it?" she demanded pulling on his sleeve, after a few moments of fighting he gave up and let her move the sleeve out of the way to reveal the secret he had worked so hard to keep.

"What the…" the Japanese girl fell into confused silence

"Plaque psoriasis, I've had it for most of my life. My skin was almost cleared up then I found out about Raf's problems and it came back with a vengeance" he sighed

"And exactly when did you plan on telling me of this recent flare, Jackson Darby?" his mother demanded coming up the stairs

Jack blanched at his mother's tone

"Ms. Darby, could you explain to us what this 'plaque psoriasis' is?" Optimus asked beating Ratchet and Bulkhead to the punch.

"Plaque psoriasis is a condition that causes abnormally rapid skin cell development. This leads to patches of itchy skin, or plaques like the one you see on Jack's arm to form. The causes of this condition aren't fully understood, but it isn't contagious, Jack's case is hereditary. His father had it and so does Jack"

"So this condition, it just causes skin problems?" Ratchet surmised

"No, it can cause joint problems, or psoriatic arthritis, but Jack doesn't have that condition thank God" June commented then turned to Jack "go to med bay and I'll meet you there" she told him still angry at him for hiding this from her.

"How long has Jack dealt with this condition?" Optimus asked as Jack left for med bay

"Sixteen years, he was two when we saw the first signs of the psoriasis. It wasn't bad back then and we weren't really sure what it was until the doctor confirmed it and we've been living with it ever since."

June went to tend to Jack as Ratchet launched a further investigation on the new medical condition he had learned about.

* * *

><p>June entered the med bay, squared her shoulders then went over to treat her son.<p>

"Jack I need you to take off your shirt" she said

Jack didn't protest or ask why, he just complied

June winced, when Jack had said it was 'back with a vengeance' he hadn't been kidding

"Why didn't you say anything to me, Jack, we could have been treating this" she said indicating the particularly large area of affected skin on that stretched from his spine around over his right shoulder, but didn't come to where it showed over the collar of his shirt by some miracle.

"You were stressed about Raf, I didn't want to make it worse" Jack sighed

June sighed inwardly, she wasn't going to deny that she was more than mildly irritated with Jack, but she had to admit that she understood why Jack did what he did. He had decided that Rafael's medical situation needed her undivided attention so he took one for the team and hid his psoriasis flair up until things were better with Rafael.

Arcee entered the med bay to see her junior partner shirtless and being treated by his mother for something. She noticed the flaky read patches littering Jack's torso and arms and wondered what it was.

"Hi, Arcee" he muttered

"Care to explain" Arcee said casually

Jack gave her an explanation of the condition and how long he had it then braced himself for the fireworks.

"You have had this condition practically your entire life and decided I didn't need to know of it?" Arcee was angry and Jack really couldn't find a reason to blame her for it.

"Arcee, at the time I didn't think it was that important, I mean it's not contagious, it's just an irritation. People don't understand this condition so… I've just taken to keeping it to myself" Jack sighed jadedly

"Well I am your partner, I'd like to think that you felt you could tell me about things like this" Arcee sighed pointing at the plaque below his elbow.

Jack sighed, "I'll try to be more open about things, but Arcee it isn't easy for me to tell people about this. I've hidden it for so long now"

June sighed, she hated that Jack felt he had to hide his condition and in that moment she realized there had to be a better way to deal with his skin. Then her phone began to ring.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Rafael was sitting in his hospital bed playing a video game. The nurses all seemed to know who he was and his mother. He wasn't really surprised about that as his mother worked at the hospital. He looked at the clock and sighed, the nursing staff had just finished the shift change and so he had a new nurse and his mother had gone home, or more likely to the Autobot base.<p>

He sighed he had several little rash-like places that itched quite bad and it took a little willpower to keep from scratching them. He sighed and after a few minutes of toughing it out he decided to press the nurse call button to get some kind of relief from this.

Diana sighed, she then noticed that the call light was on for Rafael. It was rare that he really called for anyone, she didn't know if it was because he was really independent or because he didn't like to bother people or make a burden of himself, even in this situation. She then smiled as she entered the room, Rafael was a quiet boy most of the time, not really opening up to speak about himself but endlessly curious about things others were doing. She often had to ask Rafael questions to find out how he was doing or if anything was bothering him.

She got inside and noticed the red places along his arms and realized instantly that they were hives. He told her about how they formed and when they did. Then Diana checked his file and began to wonder why he wasn't put in a latex free environment from the beginning as she figured he had now developed a latex allergy. She went to the nurse's station and called June who returned to the hospital to be present for the testing and it didn't take long for the results to come back.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Jack groaned today wasn't a good day. He ha just learned that they were moving Rafael to a latex free room as it was now confirmed he was allergic to latex. Then to top it off he couldn't get Arcee, who was once again in human form, to be merciful enough to scratch his back. She knew that they shouldn't scratch at the psoriasis plaques, not because it was contagious but because it could do damage. She finally decided to get out her cell phone and call June to see if there was anything she could do for Jack.

"How bad is it, Sadie?" June asked as she put a clip board on the counter at the nurse's station

"He was begging, June. There has to be something I can do" Arcee said obviously distressed by her partner's discomfort.

"There is some cream in the bathroom, that should help. I just got out of a meeting with a dermatologist, he said he would give Jack a discount for an office visit to take a look at it. Jack knows what the cream looks like so have him get it and don't be afraid to be generous when applying it."

"Okay, June"

Arcee got off the phone and asked Jack about the cream his mother told her about he then got it and they dealt with the issues at hand. She memorized what the container looked like so she could get it next time.

* * *

><p>The next day Jack went to see Dr. James Mitchel<p>

"So Jack, what have you used in the past to deal with the psoriasis?" Dr. Mitchel asked

"Over the counter treatments, I've gone back and forth between treatments for it, and I've managed to live with it, but I've never had a time when I didn't have a problem with it. Now... now it's worse than ever." Jake explained

"Have you ever used prescription medications for it"

"No, but so far the over the counter stuff has worked"

James sighed he knew June and knew that she and Jack had been stressed out a lot by Rafael and stress was bad for Jack's psoriasis.

"And no one has suggested a prescription?" he probed

"Not that I recall, there was talk of photo-therapy, don't know whatever went of that"

"Looking at your skin now I'd say it's time we throw out the over the counter treatments and get serious about this" James said

Jack sighed as his mother came in and was briefed

"I'm honestly concerned about anything that would suppress his immune system, I mean I already have one son with a compromised immune system" June said

"I understand, but to be truthful this may be Jack's best option for something he hasn't had in a long time, clear skin"

Soon Jack had a prescription for a pill to take for his psoriasis and new worries about the treatment plan.

He was turning it in at the pharmacy when he noticed Sierra. He just sighed and looked the other way. She seemed to get that he wasn't interested and left it at that. She had made her bed she would now have to lay in it.

Jack turned in the prescription and found out he could get it later that evening. He then went outside to see Sadie standing there with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Sadie I..."

"Look, Jack, she didn't realize what she could have had" she said seriously, referring to Sierra "She saw a guy with a motorcycle, she didn't see Jack Darby, which is a shame really since she managed to miss out on learning how incredible you are"

"Sadie, thanks for the attempt at a pep talk but I'm really not in the mood"

Arcee sighed Sierra had really hurt Jack, but he wasn't really ken on confessing to that fact.

"Jack I know what she did to you hurt, but now is the time you let it make you stronger, you know Sierra's true colors now"

He sighed then turned to the humanoid Autobot.

"Sadie, Sierra isn't the only one who has shown her true colors recently" he said making eye contact with her

"What do you mean?"

"You, I mean... from the moment we met I knew you were special, and not in the obvious ways, but now I see so much more" he sighed "You were there for me when I was stressed out about Raf, even with all the issues you were facing. You were there for me and for my family as much as you could, and... and I can't even begin to thank you for that"

Arcee had no idea where Jack was going with this speech but he didn't seem to be finished

Jack sighed, it was impossible to pin down exactly when h went from just caring about Arcee to loving her, but he had and now h was so close to telling her.

He looked at Arcee in her human form and took a deep breath before laying it all on the line. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"I love you, Arcee" he said then claimed her lips in a quick kiss.

To Be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Arcee gasped, this was a shock but there was only one way she could reply.

"I love you, too" she said still in complete shock. Jack kissed her again and this time she returned it.

Sierra watched sadly, she had messed up with Jack and she realized that now. Jack was great and she only hoped Sadie realized how lucky she was. Sierra figured she would find someone for herself, someone else, she had burned her bridges with Jack Darby.

* * *

><p>Days passed and soon Rafael was released from the hospital. He and June got outside to see a familiar red and blue semi and Optimus standing there in his human form which towered at 6'6". They weren't surprised that he was tall, he had been tall as an Autobot, why wouldn't he be tall as a human.<p>

"How are you feeling, Rafael?" he asked

"Better" Rafael replied, still annoyed at the face mask he was required to wear in public, he'd be able to take it off at Autobot headquarters but now he needed to wear it.

Optimus could see that Rafael seemed to have gotten his energy back and it did his spark good to know that the youngest of the humans was doing well again. They arrived at base and Rafael was stunned to see a "welcome home" banner, sure this wasn't his home per say, but it was a lot like a second home and this way the Autobots could celebrate his homecoming.

Rafael laughed in surprise when Bumblebee scooped him up.

"Bee, I'm fine" Rafael laughed

Be let out a string of chirps and clicks causing Rafael to smile

"I missed you too Bee" he said through his laughter

Ratchet sighed and smiled as Bumblebee handled his charge as if he were that much more fragile than he had been before.

Elita-1 sighed happily as she joined Optimus

"Bumblebee seems happy now" she said

"He and Rafael are as close as brothers, and he was worried with Rafael being so ill" Optimus said he then noticed how close Jack and Arcee were and gave a small smile. He didn't have to be told all was well there as it was all over the base and, in that moment, he was glad Elita had practically forced him to attend Rafael's welcome home party. Now he got to see his troops in a moment of peace with his own eyes, and it did his spark good.

The End!


End file.
